Monday status conference: In with the new

It’s 2009, and the newest members of the House and Senate get to work this week as the 111th Congress begins its session. Meanwhile, Washington is abuzz with the arrival of President-elect Barack Obama and his family into town. And the Supreme Court justices are set to meet Friday, and orders, opinions and oral arguments will follow next week. Meanwhile:

Tax cuts uncertain: President-elect Barack Obama is looking to pack nearly $300 billion in tax cuts for workers and businesses in his economic stimulus plan. But winning over congressional lawmakers, who are concerned about excess government spending, may not be an easy task. (NYT)

Help for the jobless? Meanwhile, Obama and Democratic congressional lawmakers are pushing to expand government-assisted health care insurance and unemployment compensation in the economic plan. (NYT)

Empty seats in the House: Illinois is not the only state with unresolved election issues as the new Congress convenes. (WaPo)

Occupational hazards? Current and former career officials at OSHA say that during the Bush administration, political appointees ordered the withdrawal of dozens of workplace health regulations, slow-rolled others, and altered the reach of its warnings and rules in response to industry pressure. (WaPo)

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One Response to Monday status conference: In with the new

Blagojevich has been so successful at making himself and his office look ridiculous that about a million people are now able to remember and maybe even spell his crazy name — that’s sort of like an accomplishment, right?